The Meaning of Roses
by Dlbn
Summary: The great William Shakespeare once said, 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. A rose is a rose, but nothing more, dear William. But in a single bouquet of roses, there would never be two that were exactly the same. Perhaps, people were like flowers as well. Each one unique in their own way.


Disclaimer: I do NOT own Loveless or any of the characters contained within. They all belong to Yun Kouga. I make NO MONEY off of this. Loveless volume 9 comes out September, 2012.

000

-Seimei-

If Seimei Aoyagi was a rose, what would be he be? Would he be a wilted, black rose? Or a brightly colored rose, shining out amongst all the others? If Seimei Aoyagi was a rose, he would be a blue rose. A rare coloring of rose, mostly done with colored dye. A mysterious rose, as mysterious as the teenager it represents. Seimei was always, and forever will be, a mystery. Always secretive in his plans; whether it be his overall grand scheme, or his daily life. He had a deep distain for touch, yet would hug his brother and hold his hand as often as he could. He'd always stop one sentence before divulging too much one moment, then the next ramble on for hours on end. They say that the blue rose stands for attaining the impossible. And that's what Seimei's plans were revealed to be. Impossible. To kill and overthrow the entirety of Septimal Moon. A task that had been only accomplished twice in the past eighty years or so. Perhaps he could do it, perhaps not. But one thing was for sure. The longer Seimei stayed a mystery to the world, the longer the world was in danger from a secret threat.

-Kio-

Kio Kaido was a strange person. Flirting and flaunting himself one minute, then being completely serious, almost fatherly, on the most sensitive of topics. He was loud and obnoxious; he was soft spoken and introverted. He was a father in DNA to a young girl, though they were close in age. Perhaps that was why he was so concerned for everyone around him. Kio was a yellow rose. So full of energy and life. I don't think there was a day that went by where Kio wasn't practically bouncing off the walls in class and sucking on a Chupa Chup lollipop. The man has an insatiable sweet tooth. Like the yellow rose, Kio was a great many things. He was a loyal friend who would do anything for those he cares about. He was a joyous person, full of life and laughter. He was betrayed by his family; kicked out at age 17 for simply being a male in a female dominated household. Secrets were kept from him. To Kio, keeping secrets was the ultimate betrayal.

-Yuiko-

Yuiko Hawatari. A middle schoolgirl with an elementary schoolgirl state of mind. Albeit naïve, she was nice and compassionate. She read people easily and recognized when something just wasn't quite right. Like her hair would suggest, she would be a light pink rose. Full of energy, and desire. Of passion for those she loved and a complete joy in the life she was living. Sure, there were people who could bring her down. There were things you could say to her that would make her cry. But she never let herself falter. No matter how harshly people treated her, especially three girls from her sixth grade class, she always kept her upbeat outlook on life. She saw the good in almost everyone around her, unless she had suspicions not to. She was a light pink rose, and no one could take away her energetic youth's spirit.

-Yayoi-

Yayoi Shioiri was a relatively quiet kid. He never spoke up out of turn. He never hurt others, or let others be hurt. But he was unfortunate to be struck with a severe case of asthma that kept him out of school quite often. The one light in his world was the girl he loved; Yuiko Hawatari. The girl was oblivious to his feelings for her. Yayoi was an orange rose. He was full of desire for the pink haired rose. He was willing to die for her, to fight for her; to win her over and be her one and only. It was that ever-devoted passion to her that made Yayoi such a brilliant orange rose.

-Nisei-

If there was ever a reason to lose faith in humanity, it might be named Nisei Akame. The boy was thin and lithe, but sinister and cold-hearted to anyone who tried to get close. There were few who were able to break down his walls and see the pink rose underneath. He was a brilliant hacker, a top-notch spy, a thief. Rumor had him a vicious killer, and a rapist. Every cruel act, every unfathomable moment was driven by the hand of none other then the blue rose of Seimei Aoyagi. While he showed joy in following Seimei's orders complete and to the fullest extent, there was no denial that he wasn't pleased with some of the things he'd done. He hid his disgust at his former orders behind a mask. A mask that only one person, his sempai Mimuro, managed to see behind. To see the broken, fragile, loving, caring human being underneath. He wasn't as bad as he was convinced he was. He was merely hiding. The boy was full of grace; in word and stride. Each move of his arm or leg was controlled and carefully planned. Every smile and glare was carefully planned as well. He was graceful, in name and in person. But only a few were privileged to realize that.

-Mimuro-

He had no last name. At least, not one that he dared to disclose. He was a white rose. Whether or not he liked to admit it, he was innocent. He was a teenager with no idea of how the world worked. Everything and anything he ever wanted handed to him on a silver spoon. All the bad influences and bad people in the world kept at bay by his over-protective, ruling-with-an-iron-fist mother and stay-at-his-wife's-side-no-matter-what father. As a sacrifice, the bad people and bad influences crawled right to him; ready to fight. His fighter, Mei Hotarubi, only let the worst of the worst get closer and closer to him. Her inability to listen to him and fight the correct way led to their defeat often. If it wasn't for her, perhaps the innocent man would never have been changed. But beneath that innocence, that purity held by his still-existent ears and tail, was a secretive person. Always keeping secrets from his family about Mei and Nisei. Keeping secrets from his classmates, friends, and teachers. As a sacrifice, he was secretive enough about his ability. But falling in love with Nisei's softer side and trying to hide it was the white rose's secret that might one day break him.

-Hitomi-

Hitomi Shinonome was the teacher of a sixth grade class. She was the dark pink rose. She believed in being thankful to those who were nice to you, to being gratuitous. She was grateful for many things. For having such wonderful kids in her class. For seeing Yuiko Hawatari, Yayoi Shioiri, and Ritsuka Aoyagi bonding the way they were. To Soubi Agatsuma for keeping Ritsuka safe from his mother. And most of all, to her parents for having her and thus giving the dark pink rose the path she needed to meet the greatest kids she'd ever known.

-Yoji and Natsuo-

Yoji Sagan and Natsuo Sagan were the male Zeros. Two people who could not feel pain. That would be their downfall, but also their greatest gift. They may never know the heartbreak of having the one he loves leaving him for an unknown reason, or of being rejected. But they don't need to worry about heartbreak ever coming close to them. For together, they are the red and white rose growing on the same stem. They are united as a unit, united as brothers. And maybe, in the future, united as more.

-Ritsu-

Ritsu Minami had a lot of regrets. He regretted letting Seimei Aoyagi get the advantage of him and take his eyes. He regretted never telling Soubi's mother how he felt for her. And most of all, he regretted handing ownership of his beloved Soubi Agatsuma to that retched brat Seimei. If he could take it back, he would. Ritsu was a man who had many regrets…and many loves. He was a yellow rose with a red tip to it. The rose of falling in love. He fell in love with Soubi's mother; his fighter, until her death. He fell in love with Soubi; a strong-willed young man that he groomed into the perfect fighter, and took the ears of. But the person Ritsu loved more then anyone else was himself. He would only do what would benefit him the most. Who cared what others felt about what was happening to them, around them? It didn't matter to him, as long as _he_ was the one who came out on top. That was how it had to be. The yellow rose with a red tip of love would one day evolve into the yellow rose with a red tip of friendship. Nagisa Sagan, Nana Saotome…their company, their friendship, would be what he cherished most. He would no longer have the time to fall in love; only sit there on his bed, blinded, and unable to do anything on his own. When that day came, he would no longer be a flower of falling in love. He'd be a flower of friendship; stumbling through the darkness of the world, searching to make friends of his enemies and of those who would prove most useful.

-Nagisa Sagan-

Nagisa Sagan hated Iyani Sumeka, who would one day become Iyani Agatsuma. She hated her for having the heart of Ritsu Minami. A man that Nagisa claimed not to love, though it was obvious to anyone that she did. And once Iyani passed? She hated Soubi Agatsuma. The son of Iyani; Ritsu's new toy. She hated him for having all of Ritsu's love, attention, and affection. Even if it was filled with beatings, seduction, and rape of a teenager. She hated it. Nagisa was a woman of jealousy. A yellow rose of jealousy dipping dangerously close to a single red rose that proclaimed 'I love you'. Her hated from Iyani and Soubi was only used to hide her love for Ritsu Minami. And the day that he lost his eyesight at the hands of Seimei Aoyagi? That was the worst day of her life. Trained as a nurse, she tried to stitch his eyes up herself. But the moment she remembered who exactly it was she was sewing up, her hands quivered and her knees gave out. That yellow rose of jealousy was blooming into a single red rose of love. A love that she would make Ritsu realize and accept. Even if he couldn't see it in her eyes every time she looked at him.

-Nana-

Nana Saotome was known as many things. Most notably, as Seven and a hikikomori. She never left her computer; working on files for Septimal Moon or playing Wisdom Resurrection in hopes of getting to Ritsuka Aoyagi. She was a pale peach rose of modesty. No matter how many times she was complimented or thanked for her work, she would turn it down. Her modesty knew no bounds. Even when she knew that she'd pulled of something 'impossible', or did something no one but her knew how, she wouldn't let that show. They might say that modesty is a good thing. That it's not obnoxious. As for Nana, she knew that one day; her modesty would lead to someone taking credit for her greatest plans and programs. But perhaps, as the pale peach rose she was, in her modesty, she would allow them to get away with it.

-Soubi-

Soubi Agatsuma was many things. He was a fighter and a lover, a friend and an enemy. He was a guardian angel and a devil in disguise. He was a liar, a traitor, a secret keeper. But above all else, he was the black rose. He wasn't the black rose in death, since he was still alive and kicking. He was a black rose of farewells to everyone and anyone that dared to care about him, and hatred for the man who took his precious ears. But most of all, he was the black rose of rebirth. He'd be reborn many times in his life. The first occurred after his parents died in a car crash. He was reborn as a fighter under Ritsu-sensei's unwavering hand. The second occurred when Seimei used his blade to carve that scar, the world 'beloved' into his neck. The third occurred when Seimei died. He became a hollowed shell of himself. Despite Kio's affections and attempting to get him to smile or escape the house, Soubi remained indoors. Only leaving for classes, if that, and food when necessary. His most recent rebirth was at the hands of his new sacrifice, Ritsuka Aoyagi. Having Ritsuka in his life showed him a new way of living. That he could live for himself and not only to follow orders. He was reborn as a devoted fighter to a new master. He was reborn quickly, having fallen fast and hard for little Ritsuka Aoyagi; the one person in his life that treated him like a human being and not an object. A little, broken boy helped him into his newest rebirth. His lover. His love for the young boy and complete devotion would carry on forever; if forever allowed him to live that long. Soubi was a black rose of rebirth, and he would be reborn many times before his life was over.

-Ritsuka-

Ritsuka Aoyagi may have been a masochist. He may have been an angel. Or perhaps a masochistic angel? He had to be one of the two to deal with his abusive mother on a daily basis. He lost his memory at age 10, making Ritsuka's mother, Misaki Aoyagi, go insane. That was not _her_ son. And for that, he had to be punished. Ritsuka took everything in stride. He didn't care if she hurt him, as long as she stayed. Unlike Seimei; his beloved older brother who he believed was dead until a few months ago. Unlike his father that never came home. The one ray of light in his life, his fighter Soubi Agatsuma, was the only thing that kept him going. The man was devoted in name and in body. He would do anything and everything to ensure that little Ritsuka survived to fight another day. Just like Seimei Aoyagi had ordered him to do, those many years ago. Due to his mother's abuse and denial of him as her son, Ritsuka began to believe her. He wasn't her Ritsuka, he deserved to be punished for that, and he was not good enough because of it. He failed to see the sweet boy underneath. Though his name was Loveless, 'one without love', he was far from loveless. He had the affections of his friend Yuiko-which went unreciprocated-of his shrink, the caring affection of his sensei, the undying love of his brother Seimei, and the perfect love of his Soubi Agatsuma. Ritsuka failed to see just what he was inside. He had a pure heart. His hairstyle was cool and fitting, his ears and tail were just the right size and shape. He was thin, but not too much. He cared for people closest to him, and hated to see anyone hurt. He stood up to bullies and put himself in harm's way every day to get the truth about his brother and Septimal Moon. Ritsuka was a dark red rose. The rose of unconscious beauty. Though he only saw what was on the surface-jet black hair, plum colored eyes like his brother's and father's, the name written on his hip, the scars from his mother. He was modest and didn't see the good qualities inside him. No matter who told him otherwise, he would never see past the scars to the perfect core inside. He didn't know just how beautiful his face, as well as his soul, was. Perhaps one day, he would realize it. He was a rose of unconscious beauty. And that's what he would always be; a beautiful soul trapped in a body wracked with misery, grief, and pain beyond wildest imagination.


End file.
